St. Landry democrat., 1887-08-20

men of splendid intellect have given
their whole life to controversial dis
putes, when, if they had given their life
to something practical, they might have
been vastly useful Suppose this morn
ing, while / speak, there were common
enemy coming up the bay through the
Narrows, and all the forts around New
York began to fire into each other-you
would cry out, National suicide Why
don't those forts blaze away in one di-
rection, and that against the common
enemy?" And yet l sometimes see in
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ a
strange thing going on-church against
church, minister against minister, de-
nomination against denomination, firing
away into their own fort, or the fort
which ought to be on the same side, in
stead of concentrating their energy and
giving one mighty and everlasting volley
against the navies of darkness riding up
through the bay
| 60 out sometimes in the summer, and
find two beehives. and these two hives
are in a quarrel. come near enough
not to be stung, but come Just near
enough to hear the controversy, and one
beehive says, THAT field of clover is the
| sweetest and another beehive says,
That field of clover is the sweetest" l
come in between them, and | say, stop
this quarrel; if you like this field of
clover best, go there; if you like that
field of clover best, go there; but let me
tell you that that hive which gets the
most honey is the best hive" So l come
out between the churches of the Lord
Jesus Christ. One denomination of
Christians says, "That field of Christian
doctrine is best" and another says,
This field of Christian doctrine is best"
Well, | say, go where you get the most
honey" That is the best church which
gets the most honey of Christian grace
for the heart, and the most honey of
Christian usefulness for the life.
Beside that, if you want to build up
any denomination, you will never build
it up by trying to pull some other down.
Intolerance never put anything down.
How much has intolerance accomplished,
for instance, against the Methodist
! church? For long years her ministry
were forbidden the pulpits of Great
Britain. Why was it that so many of
them preached in the fields? Simply be-
cause they could not get in the churches.
And the name of the church was given in
derision and as a sarcasm. The critics
of the church said, They have no order,
they have no method in their Worship"
and the critics, therefore, in irony called
them "Methodists."
| am told that in Astor Library, New
York, kept as curiosities, there are seven
hundred and seven books and pamphlets
against Methodism Did intolerance
stop that church? No; it is either first
or second amid the denominations of
Christendom, her missionary stations in
all parts of the world, her men not only
important in religious trusts, but i'm
portant also in secular trusts. Church
marching on, and the more intolerance
against it the faster it marched.
What did intolerance accomplish
against the Baptist Church? If laughing
scorn and TRADE could have destroyed
the church it would not have to-day
disciple left
The Baptists were hurled out of Bos-
ton in olden times. Those who sympa-
thized with them were confined, and
ency in their behalf, all the men who
stopped the Baptist Church? The last
statistics in regard to it showed about
thirty thousand churches and two and
ance never put down anything.
In England law was made against
the Jew. England thrust back the Jew
and thrust down the Jew, and declared
that no Jew should hold official position.
What came of it? Were the Jews de-
stroyed? Was their religion over
thrown? No. Who became prime min
lister of England years ago? Who was
next to the throne? Who was higher
than the throne because he was counsel
lor and adviser? The descendant of a
Jew. What were we celebrating in all
our churches as well as synagogues a
few years ago? The one hundredth
birthday anniversary of Montefiore, the
great Jewish philanthropist. Intolerance
never yet put down anything.
III. But now my friends, having shown
you the origin of bigotry or sectarianism,
and having shown you the damage it
does, want briefly to show you how we
are to war against this terrible evil, and
I think we ought to begin our war by re-
alizing our own weakness and our i'm
takes in the common affairs of life, is it
not possible that we may make mistakes
in regard to our religious affairs? Shall
VIC GdhC d uldA NY tuC VI ny tuC
collar, because he cannot see religious
truths just as we do? In the light of eter-
nifty it will be found out L think there was
something wrong in all our creeds, and
something right in all our creeds. But
since we may make mistakes in regard
to things of the world, do not let US be
egotistic, and so pulled up as to have an
idea that we cannot make any mistake in
regard to religious theories. And then L
think we will do great deal to over
throw the sectarianism from our heart,
and the sectarianism from the world, by
chiefly enlarging upon those things in
which we agree rather than those on
which we differ.
Now, here is great Gospel platform.
A man comes up on this side the platform
and says, 81 don't believe in baby sprink-
ling" Shall I shove him off? Here is
man coming up on this side the platform,
and he says, II don't believe in the per-
severance of the saints" Shall I shove
him off? No. will say, "Do you believe
in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour? do
you trust Him for time and for eternity?"
He says, "Yes." do you take Christ for
time and for eternity?" Eyes" I say,
"Come on, brother; one in time and one
in eternity; brother now, brother for
ever" Blessed be God for Gospel
IL l. hat Ill ,h1